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Nov 20, 2022 · Swimming is not uncommon for seals, but they can also stay under water for extended periods of time. Furthermore, these seals can dive to depths of up to 100 meters. Special Adaptations Seals. Seals have adapted well to cold polar environments due to their thick blubber layers that serve as both insulation and food reserves.
Aug 5, 2023 · Although they spend more time on land than true seals do, eared seals can still stay underwater for quite a long time. The California sea lion ( Zalophus californianus ), for example, doesn’t dive very deep, sticking to depths of 50 to 100 feet.
These adaptations enable a harbor seal to conserve oxygen while it is under water. As with other marine mammals, when a harbor seal dives, its heart rate slows - from 75 to 120 beats per minute to only four to six beats per minute. When a seal surfaces after a long dive, it experiences an accelerated heart rate for a short time.
- They have been around for a long time. Fossil records indicate that the ancestors of modern seals first entered the ocean on the west coast, about 28–30 million years ago.
- There are three different major types of pinnipeds. “Phocid seals” are also called “true seals” and include several species such as harbor seals and gray seals.
- They have whiskers they use like cats do. Seals and sea lions have many well-developed whiskers, much like cats. Like cats, they have a very acute sense of touch.
- They can go for long periods of time without eating. A seal’s body stores enough fat in the blubber layer to allow the animal to go for extended periods of time without eating.
Seals, too, have key adaptations that make them efficient swimmers, like lots of blubber to make them buoyant. When at sea, northern elephant seals spend 85 to 95 percent of that time underwater and make massive migrations up to 13,000 miles long. Diving is part of life for pinnipeds, and even for sea creatures they are impressive divers.
Feb 9, 2023 · Unlike other marine mammals, seals spend long periods on land using nearby oceans and lakes for foraging and hunting. Most seals spend at least 50% of their time in the water, with some species, like the elephant seal, only coming out to breed.
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Seals are accomplished divers, and have evolved a number of adaptations that allow them to survive underwater. Some seals, such as the Weddell seal, can stay underwater for over an hour. In order for an air-breathing animal such as a seal to remain submerged for such a long period of time, it must have a means of conserving oxygen.
